Citizens, Police Officers Honored For Heroism

MANCHESTER — When motorist Faith Tracy saw someone scaling a fence on a highway overpass, she thought it was just a curious kid. So she tooted her horn to scare him down.

But the ``kid'' turned out to be a distraught woman intent on killing herself, and the beep only prompted her to climb faster.

The 4-foot-11 Tracy threw her car into park, rushed over to the woman, grabbed her ankle and talked to her. Police credit the Tolland resident with saving the woman's life.

Tracy was one of the first four people to receive the Dorothy Forde Award Thursday. The new award is named after the broom- wielding 85-year-old who helped rescue an 11-year-old girl from a sexual attack in 1996. Forde died in November.

Also honored at the police department ceremony at Manchester Community-Technical College were two other civilians, a couple of state and federal prosecutors and more than 40 police officers.

Tracy was quick to spread the credit for her deed on April 20, 1998: A few young adults helped her save the suicidal woman by pulling her off the Deming Street bridge, she said. Then they disappeared.

Tracy and the woman kept in touch and the woman is doing great, Tracy said.

The other Dorothy Forde Award recipients are:

* Alexander C. Grimshaw Jr., who confronted a knife-wielding suspect on West Middle Turnpike on March 2, 1998, preventing further injury to a victim.

* Charles F. Barrera, who took note of several people fleeing from what turned out to be a bank robbery on March 9, 1998. Police used his vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers to capture the suspects.

* Bruce S. Marcus, who used his electronic expertise to help police find a man who police say jammed their main radio frequency.

Police officers honored for saving lives include:

* Lt. John Mott, who was able to get close enough to a woman he knew on July 22, 1998, to grab her before she jumped from a highway overpass.

* Officer Lawrence Hall, who calmed a delusional man armed with a butcher knife and who threatened suicide on July 15, 1998.